Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) – Equities researchers at Desjardins increased their Q3 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Manulife Financial in a research report issued on Monday, October 15th. Desjardins analyst D. Young now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $0.50 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.47. Desjardins has a “Buy” rating on the stock. Desjardins also issued estimates for Manulife Financial’s FY2018 earnings at $1.98 EPS.

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Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $10.59 billion for the quarter. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 12.69% and a net margin of 4.22%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.57 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. TheStreet downgraded Manulife Financial from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, October 15th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Manulife Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, October 5th. ValuEngine downgraded Manulife Financial from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Manulife Financial from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on Manulife Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 10th. They issued an “in-line” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $25.67.

MFC opened at $15.90 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.38 billion, a PE ratio of 9.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.29. Manulife Financial has a 12 month low of $15.17 and a 12 month high of $22.16.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFC. Cerebellum GP LLC purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the third quarter worth about $149,000. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp increased its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 61.0% in the second quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp now owns 8,343 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 3,160 shares during the period. ProVise Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the second quarter worth about $191,000. We Are One Seven LLC bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the third quarter worth about $227,000. Finally, Squar Milner Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the second quarter worth about $248,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.12% of the company’s stock.

Manulife Financial Company Profile

Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups, and institutions in Asia, Canada, and the United States. The company offers individual life, and individual and group long-term care insurance through insurance agents, brokers, banks, financial planners, and direct marketing.